Rai

Congratulations to Priya Rai,
2012 recipient of the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians

Justice T.P.S. Chawla Library, National Law University Delhiiyt

Ms. Priya Rai is the Deputy Librarian In-Charge at the Justice T.P.S. Chawla Library, National Law University Delhi, India. She has worked in this capacity since June 2009, and is responsible for providing legal information services to law students and faculty. Ms. Rai provides legal research training at the National Law University, Delhi, but is also engaged with the wider legal community, contribuing to the Legal Information Institute of India Project, and providing legal research services to attorneys, judges, and parliamentarians.

Ms. Rai earned her LL.B from Chaudhary Charan Singh University in 2009, as well as completing extensive academic training in librarianship. She earned her Bachelors in Library and Information Science from Annamalia University in 1998, followed by a Master in Library and Information Science in 2000. In 2006 she earned her M.Phil in Library and Information Science from Allagappa University, and her studies culminated with a Post-Graduate Degree in Library Automation and Networking at Annamalai University in 2010.

Ms. Rai is a member of the International Association of Law Libraries, and the Special Library Association. She is a life member of the Delhi Library Association, and has published extensively, including Digital Library: Legal Education & Research (2010), and Index to Indian & Foreign Legal Articles (2011).

Her most recent interests have focused on library automation and library information management in a globalized digital era. This year, she spearheaded the first International Conference on Access to Legal Information & Research in the Digital Age, which was organized to encourage stakeholders to address the future of law libraries and information centers generally. Strengths as weaknesses with respect to the dissemination of legal information in the era of digital technology were addressed, and new management models were encouraged.

Anticipating AALL

Ms. Rai looks forward to meeting law librarians and other legal information professionals from around the world. She is eager to learn about skills, tools, and resources that she can bring back and share with the legal community she serves. She hopes to learn about different service models that may help to address the gap between researchers and law librarians. Ms. Rai would be delighted to learn more about differences between commercial legal databases and freely available resources as this will inform her doctoral research.

Returning to Delhi

Attending AALL will give Ms. Priya Rai networking opportunities, which will help her to promote cooperative efforts of her library and other libraries associated with her university. She believes this is especially important for a country that is developing as quickly as India. The challenges of such a large country include access and organization of information, as well as connecting the numerous academic law libraries in an effort to support legal education and research in India. Afterward AALL, she plans to conduct a workshop to share her experiences with colleagues at the university and legal community more broadly. She believes that learning from other AALL attendees will help her library review and improve the information literacy of its patrons and encourage the future participation of her colleagues.

Presentation

Ms. Rai will give a talk entitled, Access to Legal Information in the Digital Age: A Comparative Study of Electronic Commercial Databases and Public Domain Resources in Law, at HCC-Room 205 on Monday, July 23, 2012, 12:00-1:00pm. This event is open to the entire AALL community.

FCIL-SIS gratefully acknowledges
the generous contributions of many Donors

Despite valuable support from AALL, FCIL, vendors, and individual AALL members, the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians Fund at this time does not fully cover the recipient’s transportation, lodging, and food costs. Your tax-deductible donation will enhance the Grant’s impact and ensure the continued presence of foreign law librarians at AALL. Contribute Online or send your contribution to AALL, 53 W. Jackson, Suite 940, Chicago, IL 60604, and be sure to designate your contribution for the FCIL Schaffer Grant for Foreign Law Librarians Fund. Please mail the AALL Giving Form (.pdf) with your contribution.